AirDoctor Air Purifier Review

What is the AirDoctor Home Air Purifier?

The dust on your furniture and dirt on the floors you can see, no problem. But it’s not so simple to know when the air in your home needs cleaning. Enter: The AirDoctor Air Purifier. Not only is this professional-quality air purifier (with a very professional name) equipped with a sensor that continually monitors the quality of your air, but displayed LED lights tell you at a quick glance if the quality of your home air is good (blue), fair (orange), or poor (red). And that’s not all. Put the home air purifier in auto mode, and it automatically adjusts the fan speed if it detects contaminants and to quickly clean the air from red or orange to blue.

Impressive? Yes. And here’s why that matters: We are indoors a lot—about 90 percent of the time; and that inside air may be two to five times—and occasionally more than 100 times—more polluted than outdoor air, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The air inside your home can have a combination of particles like dust mites, pollen, pet dander, smoke, mold spores and germs. Plus, certain household products like cleaning supplies, aerosol sprays, paint and even some furnishings emit toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs for short). Inhaling these contaminants may cause short-term symptoms like sneezing and coughing, itchy watery eyes and fatigue. Repeated exposure over a long period of time, however, may raise your risk of more serious conditions, such as respiratory and heart disease.

When the AirDoctor is in, you get the benefit of its exclusive UltraHEPA™ filter, which has been shown to be 100 times more effective than ordinary HEPA filters. A dual action carbon, gas trap and VOC filter works in tandem to help reduce contaminants and toxins, and a built-in ionizer revitalizes the air. Independent lab tests have shown the AirDoctor captures 99.99 percent of a range of bacteria and viruses, and up to 100 percent of the smallest particles that pose the greatest risk to you and your family’s health. This purifier has four different fan speeds to choose from and is powerful enough to clean the air three times every hour in a room up to 900 sq. ft., or up to 2400 sq. ft. once every hour. Yet it performs more quietly than ordinary purifiers.

How it Works

The AirDoctor operates on a three-stage filtration system: First is the pre-filter, which removes larger contaminants, like dust and animal hair. Filter two is the dual action gas trap filter that combines two types of media—one to remove ozone, gas and odors, and a second to deactivate certain VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, like formaldehyde. The third filter: The UltraHEPA™ was found to remove 100 percent of ultrafine particles at .003 microns in size—that’s 100 times smaller than the HEPA standard. Ordinary HEPA filters only trap 99.97 percent of particles that are .3 microns in size. (And in case you’re curious: A micron is really, really, really small. One strand of human hair is 50 to 70 microns wide; a fine grain of beach sand, 90 microns in diameter).

The AirDoctor is a sealed system—meaning it ensures no unfiltered air escapes through leaks. And it offers four different fan speed settings: Low, Medium, High and Boost—depending on how fast you want to clean the air. For every day, low or medium is good. The high setting may be more appropriate during allergy season, or if there’s excessive smoke or pet dander. The super-fast boost setting is usually used for shorter bursts, when you want a quick clean of the air. And the fans use WhisperJet technology, which claim to be 30 percent quieter than other air purifiers.

When you run your AirDoctor on auto mode, it uses a laser air sensor to monitor the air quality in your room—indicating red for poor, orange for fair and blue for good air quality. If it detects contaminants, the purifier will automatically increase the fan speed to clean the air faster, then return to normal fan speed once the quality improves.

Some other thoughtful features: A dim mode setting turns off the LED lights for nighttime; you can set the AirDoctor to turn off after a certain time; an ion generator turns on ions; and when a filter needs to be replaced, an indicator light lets you know. And on that topic, how often do said filters need replacing? It depends on a few factors, but in general, if you run your AirDoctor 24/7, the gas trap VOC filter should last six months, and the UltraHEPA™ filter should be good for a year. Run it less often, the filters last longer. Every gas trap filter comes with a reusable pre-filter attached to it. To stretch the life of all your filters, give the pre-filter a vacuum once a month. And when it’s time to change them, the site offers simple step-by-step instructions, and a video if you prefer a visual.

Pricing

The AirDoctor 4-in-1 Air Purifier with UltraHEPA will run you $629 plus $29.95 shipping and processing. Flexible payment plans are available, and keep an eye out for sales—they frequently offer promotions and discounts. AirDoctor offers a money back guarantee: Try the purifier for 30 days, and if you’re dissatisfied, send it back for a full refund, less shipping and processing.

You can purchase replacement filters in one-year combo packs (which includes one UltraHEPA™ and two Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filters) as a one-time purchase for $144.95 (plus $9.95 shipping and handling) or you can opt for an automatic shipment, which delivers annually for $132 (with free shipping). You can also purchase two-year combo packs (two UltraHEPA™ and four Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filters) for $284.95 (plus $9.95 shipping and handling). Replacement filters are also available for individual purchase: one UltraHEPA™ filter for $59.95 (plus $9.95 shipping and handling); one Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filter for $59.95 (plus $9.95 shipping and handling); or one Pre-filter for $19.95 (plus $9.95 shipping and handling).

This product was reviewed by Consumer Rating and given a 9.9 out of 10 rating.

How Does it Compare

Is AirDoctor a good air purifier? With so many air purifiers on the market, how do you know which are the best options? Here’s how AirDoctor compares:

Getting Your AirDoctor

Purchasing is simple: Just call or order online. AirDoctor ships directly to the U.S. and Canada. And setting it up is even easier: Once your box arrives, just unpack the purifier, remove all the packaging and plug it in.

A couple of tips to keep in mind:
* Keep both sides of the purifier more than one foot away from a wall, and avoid contact with curtains or drapery.
* Don’t blow air from a fan or air conditioner directly into the air purifier.
* Pick a spot to place the AirDoctor that’s close to the source of air pollution if possible.

About the Company

AirDoctor was invented by Peter Spiegel. The company operates from its headquarters in Van Nuys, CA.